Animate, inanimate, but also social

“Social” groups form a discrete category in the brain

Social groups (the "rich", the "police", the "elderly"...) constitute a special group for the brain, one that is distinct from other groups, such as animate and inanimate objects. This is the main finding of a neuropsychological study conducted on patients with cognitive impairment.

The first authors of the study are Raffaella Rumiati of the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) of Trieste, and Andrea Carnaghi of the University of Trieste.